From Sweatshops to Leadership in Employment Practices: Ethics and Advocacy for HR 
Assignment 5: Nike” From Sweatshops to Leadership in Employment Practices”
M.K. Green
Dr. James Emerson
Human Resource Management 522
Ethics and Advocacy for HR Pro
March 13, 2014
Discern how a more effective ethics programs and a more viable code of conduct could have mitigated the ethical issues faced by Nike Nike leads the world in the manufacturing and distributing of its athletic footwear and accessories. Nike is the brain child of Phil Knight and his former track coach, Bill Bowerman. The duo formed a company that would eventually become the leader in the athletic industry with the sales and manufacturing of athletic wear. The Nike brand is widely recognized by its catch phrase and its logo. Their marketing campaigns specially “just do it” helped it revive its brand image. The swoosh sign is recognizable across most of the world. This alone attributes for Nike 's worldwide success. Overall, Nike keeps improving its product which helps to keep the population engaged with its brand.
If Nike had a more effective ethics program and viable code of conduct, ethical issues could have been avoided by Nike. In the early 1990s, sports shoe giant Nike became the target of arguably the most intensive and widely publicized of these anticorporate campaigns up to that time (Conaway, 2011). According to Ferrell, ethics programs that provide guidelines outlining board responsibilities encourage compliance encourage compliance at the highest levels of the organization. Some of the minimum requirements for ethics and compliance programs are standards and procedures , such as codes of ethics, that are reasonably capable of detecting and preventing misconduct ; high level personnel who are responsible for an ethics and compliance program; substantial discretionary authority given to individuals with a propensity for misconduct; standards and procedures communicated effectively by ethics training programs; systems to
M.K. Green
Dr. James Emerson
Human Resource Management 522
Ethics and Advocacy for HR Pro
March 13, 2014
Discern how a more effective ethics programs and a more viable code of conduct could have mitigated the ethical issues faced by Nike Nike leads the world in the manufacturing and distributing of its athletic footwear and accessories. Nike is the brain child of Phil Knight and his former track coach, Bill Bowerman. The duo formed a company that would eventually become the leader in the athletic industry with the sales and manufacturing of athletic wear. The Nike brand is widely recognized by its catch phrase and its logo. Their marketing campaigns specially “just do it” helped it revive its brand image. The swoosh sign is recognizable across most of the world. This alone attributes for Nike 's worldwide success. Overall, Nike keeps improving its product which helps to keep the population engaged with its brand.
If Nike had a more effective ethics program and viable code of conduct, ethical issues could have been avoided by Nike. In the early 1990s, sports shoe giant Nike became the target of arguably the most intensive and widely publicized of these anticorporate campaigns up to that time (Conaway, 2011). According to Ferrell, ethics programs that provide guidelines outlining board responsibilities encourage compliance encourage compliance at the highest levels of the organization. Some of the minimum requirements for ethics and compliance programs are standards and procedures , such as codes of ethics, that are reasonably capable of detecting and preventing misconduct ; high level personnel who are responsible for an ethics and compliance program; substantial discretionary authority given to individuals with a propensity for misconduct; standards and procedures communicated effectively by ethics training programs; systems to
References: Dhooge, L.J. (2011). Creating a course in global business ethics: a modest approach. Journal of Legal Studies Education. Jan 2011, Volume 28, Issue 2, p823-889. 67p. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2011). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases: 2011 custom edition (8th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Waller, R., Conaway, R. (2011) Framing and counterframing the issue of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Communication. Jan. 2011, Vol. 48 Issue 1, p83-106. 24p. Fair Factory Clearinghouse. (2012) Major apparel brands and manufacturers aim to advance global factory conditions using new collaborative. Business Wire.